Rajan Zed
WHO: RAJAN ZED, Religious concerns, priest and interfaith director of Hindu Temple of Northern Nevada.
WHY: Opened the U.S. Senate session in July with “Gayatri Mantra,” becoming the first Hindu priest to say a prayer on the Senate floor.
WORTH NOTING: “With this gesture, we want to send the word of love and mutual respect from Nevada,” said Rev. Gene Savoy, President of the Clergy Association. “We are proud of Rajan for his message of peace, brotherhood, selflessness and unity, which he delivered in the U.S. Senate.” As the Senate chaplain’s office stipulated, Zed chanted the mantra in English rather than Sanskrit. Though there was a hostile interruption from the visitors’ gallery, the three hecklers were quickly escorted out.
WHAT HE SAID: “The challenge is for us all to learn to live together with our philosophical differences, not only in peace but in some sort of trust and mutual loyalty. Existence of different faiths is positively willed by God, as a sign of God's bountifulness. We were all looking for the truth.”
ERROR CORRECTION: In last month’s DesiWorld, the title “World’s Second Largest Juma Mosque in India” should have appeared as “World’s Second Oldest Juma Mosque in India.” The error is regretted.
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